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Aviation History
1983
1983 - 1415.PDF
WORLD'S AIR FORCES Wessex HU.5, remains with the "sister" unit 845 Sqn, as well as equipping 707 (to convert to Sea King HC.4s), 771 and 772 Sqn at Yeovilton, Culdrose, and Portland respectively, for train ing and SAR duties. By 1986 the Wessex will have almost disappeared from use, but 16 machines will be retained for secondary work into the early Nineties. The majority of Wasp HAS.Is will also have been phased out by 1987, although some Flights, those attached to survey/hospital ships, will continue until 1990: 829 Sqn remains the sole Wasp operator, with 41 spread around the Fleet. Lynx is now the Navy's principal ASV heli copter, and by the end of 1983 there will be 56 Mk2s and 20 Mk3s in service. 815 Sqn shore- based at Portland is currently the largest user of the type, with 33 flying attached to Leander- class frigates as well as to the Type 21, 22, and 42 classes. 702 Sqn is the Lynx training unit. Other FAA training squadrons are 705 at Culdrose with Gazelles, 750 Sqn tasked with observer training on Jetstream T.2s, and the Flying Grading Flight at Roborough with ten Chipmunks. At Yeovilton is the Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit operated by Airwork Ltd, which has 12 Canberras and 22 Hunters. Army Air Corps An autonomous formation within the British Army, the AAC operates about 300 helicopters but only some 33 fixed-wing aircraft. An AAC Regiment con sists of two squadrons, one tasked princi pally with reconnaissance flying Gazelles, while the other operates in the anti-tank role with either the SS.ll-armed Scout AH.l or the more lethal Lynx/TOW. No 1 Wing, based at Detmold in West Germany, controls 5 AAC Regiments: 1 Regiment with 651 and 661 Sqn at Hil- desheim; 2 Regt with 652 Sqn at Bunde and 662 Sqn at Munster; 3 Regt with 653 and 663 Sqn at Soest; 4 Regt with 654 Sqn at Detmold and 664 Sqn at Minden; and the HQ unit 9 Regt with 659 and 669 Sqn at Detmold. There are two Gazelle Flights, No 7 at Berlin and 12 Fit at RAF Wildenrath. The UKLF HQ at Wilton is responsible for all other AAC units except the AAC Centre at Middle Wallop and 660 Sqn operating 12 Scouts in Hong Kong (with a detachment in Brunei). A Regiment based in Northern Ireland controls 655 Sqn and a "roulement" squadron on temporary duty from Germany. A Beaver flight is also based at Aldergrove. In England, 7 Regiment controls 658 Sqh at Netheravon as well as 2 Fit with the Allied Mobile Force and 3 Fit at Topcliffe. No 656 Sqn is also based at Netheravon, with 657 at Oakington. Eight remaining Alouette lis are flown by 16 Fit in Cyprus, and there are detachments based in Belize, the Falklands, and Canada. Training is cen tered at Middle Wallop, first on the Chip munk then the Gazelle, operated by the civil contractor Bristow Helicopters. Type No Lynx AH.l Gazelle 187+ Scout Alouette II Beaver Chipmunk 114 Liaison 80+ 10 10 24 A-T/utility A-T Liaison Utility Train Greece Elliniki Aeroporia Competition to win the order for Greece's future combat aircraft is stiff, with the Mirage 2000, F-16, F-18 and the Tornado sales teams fighting for the contract for 70+ aircraft to replace the cur rent force of Phantoms and F-5s. Lucrative offset deals and licence manufacture by Hel lenic Aerospace Industries are some of the tempting offers being laid before the Greeks. An even longer search has been the requirement to replace the Noratlas/C-47 transport fleet, but a decision seems unlikely in the near future owing to funding problems. The Air Force is organised into three main elements, Tactical Air Force, Air Mat erial Command and Air Training Command. Within the TAF there are seven Wings normally controlling two squadrons, plus a base flight for liaison and training. F-4 Phantom deliveries to the Service total 66 aircraft, including eight RF-4Es, and these equip four squadrons. Greece remains the world's sole F-84F Thunderstreak operator and still flies a few RF-84F Thunderflash reconnaisance versions alongside the recce Phantoms. The two Starfighter squadrons have been increased in strength by the addi tion of ten ex-Netherlands F-104Gs (Greece originally received 51 Gs and seven TF-104Gs). For high-speed target work a British Army Westland Lynx AH.l handful of F-104Gs is replacing six T-33As at Souda Bay. Six Italian-built Chinooks have also been noted on delivery to the Air Force. The Greek Army's airlift capability has been increased considerably following the delivery of ten Italian-built CH-47C Chinooks, although only five have been seen to date, while a number of AB.206s have been received, together with a King Air 200 to complement the existing Commander 680s. Contrary to previous reports, the acquisition of some AH-ls Cobras has not occurred, although US Congressional approval for their supply has again been sought this year. Type No Role Mirage F.1CG F-4E/RF-4E Phantom F-5A/B/RF-5A F-104G/TF-104G Starfighter A-7H/TA-7H Corsair F-84F/RF-84F C-130H Hercules NAMC YS-11A C-47 Noratlas CL-215 Gulfstream HU-16B Albatross AB.205/206 Bell 212 CH-47C Chinook Ag-Cat T-33A T-41D T-37BC T-2E Buckeye N.vy AB.212ASW Alouette III Army CH-47C Chinook Bell UH-1H/AB.205 AB.206 Bell 47G Cessna U-17 Commander 680FL/500 King Air 200 39 56B 45/9/16 42/4 59/6 Few 12 6 6 15 10 1 12 22/2 2 2 11 40+ 20 20 19 6 4 10 50 + 10+ 5 24 2/1 1 Guatemala Int Int/recce F-B/train/recce Attack Attack/train Attack/recce Trans Trans Trans Trans SAR VIP ASW/SAR Liaison/VIP VIP Trans Crop spray Liaison Train Train Train ASW Liaison Trans Utility Liaison Utility /train Utility Liaison Liaison FLIGHT International, 6 August 1983 Fuerza Aerea Guatemalteca Despite reported Guatemalan acceptance that part of Belize could be rennounced to the newly independent republic, the RAF force of Har riers, Pumas, and Rapier SAMs remains in the neighbouring country as a deterrent to S ossible Guatemalan aggression. Facing the tarriers, the FAG maintains a single counter-insurgency unit of 11 Cessna A-37Bs received from the USA between 1971 and 1975, possibly supplemented by three Cessna T-37Cs, four Lockheed T-33As, and three Fouga Magisters delivered in 1979. These iet aircraft are based at San Jos6 and at Flores in the north. The Escuadron de Transporte is based at la Aurora, Guatemala City, and operates at least nine C-47s, seven of ten IAI Aravas, and\one DC-6. Liaison duties are flown by six Cessna 172s, three Cessna 180s, two Cessna U206Cs and one Super King Air 200 delivered in 1976 for VIP use. The helicop ter fleet totals three survivors of six Bell UH-lDs, six UH-lHs delivered in 1981, three Bell 212s and six Bell 412s, three Sikorsky UH-19s, and a Hiller OH-23G. At Los Cipresales is a pilot training school with ten Aerotec T-23 Uirapurus and 12 PC-7 Turbo-Trainers, the latter having a dual Coin/training role. 345
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